Hatch-door for elevators



(No Model.)

W. STEVENS. HATCH DOOR FOR ELEVATORS.

.No. 420,744. Patented Feb. 4, 1890.

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ATENT \VILLIAM STEVENS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HATCH-DOOR FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,744, dated February4, 1890. Application filed May 6, 1889. $erial No. 309,759. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM STEVENS, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inHatch-Doors for Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hatch-doors for elevators; and it consists ofcertain improvements, which are fully set forth in the followingspecification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereof.

More particularly my invention relates to hatch-doors which areautomatically opened to allow the elevator to pass, and are closed againafter its passage. Ordinarily the arms or levers by which thehatch-doors are operated have projecting arms vextending outside of theelevator-shaft and connected with the doors, in order to obtainsufficient leverage to raise the doors even with the sides of the shaft,so that they shall not project into the shaft in the path of theelevator-platform and prevent its descent. This feature isunobjectionable where the shaft is open or where there is room on eachside of the elevatorguides for the arms to project into; but it oftenhappens that there is no room upon the outside of these guides, and itis not convenient (and oftentimes it is impossible, as where theelevator-shaft is bounded by brick walls or masonry) to cut awaysufficient space for these arms to work in.

It is the object of my present invention to devise a hatchway-gate whichshall be automatically opened and closed to allow the passage of theelevator without having the ends of the arms or levers projectingoutside of the shaft or beyond the outside of the guides.

In carrying out my invention I employ single-armed levers pivoted to thesides of the guides and projecting into but not outside of theelevator-shaft. These levers are 0011- nected with the hatch-doors bysuitable connections passing over guides arranged above the fulcrums ofthe levers, so that the closing of the hatch-door lifts the arms outinto the shaft, and a lowering of the levers opensthe doors. By the useof connections passing over guides above the pivot-points of the leverssingle-armed pivoted levers maybe employed, thus dispensingwith armsprojecting outside of the shaft.

A further improvement consists in making the connections between thelevers andhatchdoor adjustable in the manner hereinafter described.

In tiie drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an elevator-shaftembodying my improvements, with the elevator ascending. Fig. 2 is asimilar View with the elevator descending. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionalView on the line a: 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevationof a portion of one of the doors, showing the manner of attaching thelink or connection thereto. Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation, on anenlarged scale, of the adjusting-link; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of oneof the levers detached.

A A are the elevatorguides, having recessed or cut-out portions a toreceive the doors B when they are opened. The doors are hinged at Z) tothe floor 0.

D are the arms or levers loosely pivoted at cl to the guides B andnormally projecting into the elevator-shaft.

E are the chains or ropes forming a flexible connection between thelevers D and the doors B and passing over guides F, (which arepreferably rollers or wheels,) located above the fulcrums or pivotpoints d of the levers. These chains or ropes E also pass over suitableguides below the fulcrums or pivot-pom ts d and a little above thehinge-points b of the doors B, and are connected to the doors Bpreferably by means of small plates E, adjustably secured to the doors Bby means of screws passing through the slots 6, whereby slightadjustment of the leverage is obtained. The passing of the chain or ropeconnecting the lever and the door over guides located above thelever-fulcrum will, it is apparent, render -a two-armed leverunnecessary, and consequently dispense with arms projecting on theout-side of the guides A, for when the lever D is depressed it will drawthe chain or rope E over the guide-roller F and raise the door B withoutthe necessity of exerting any force from a point on the outside of theguides A. By means of an adj listing-link g the length of the chain orrope E may be adjusted, if required, so as to exactly open the doorB.This link 9 is preferably constructed in the man= ner shown in Fig. 5,consisting of the slotted piece g, adjustably connected to the twoarmedpiece 9 by means of a bolt e, the piece 9 being provided with two ormore holes to receive the bolt 6 for different adjustments. By thismeans the length of the chain or rope E may be increased or diminished,as required, to make the doors B open and close exactly.

011 the right-hand side of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is shown a modification ofthe connections between the levers D and the doors B, in which the chainor rope E, after passing over the guide F, is connected to a verticalrod or link II, having secured to its end a slide I, which is adapted torun upon a vertical guide-rod J, secured to the side of theelevator-guide A. This slide is also connected to the door B by means ofa link K, pivoted to the slide I at i and to the door B at 70. It isapparent that the operations of these two constructions are similar. rodII is drawn up, the slide I moving on the guide-rod J and carrying withit the pivoted link or connection K, which raises the door B. In orderto obtain a better leverage and insure the door B being fully opened, Iprefer to have the link or connection K pivoted to the door B at a pointbelow the uppersurface of the door, which may be accomplished by forminga slot or recess in the door and pivoting the link or connection Kpreferably in an adjustable piece K, fittinginto the recess in the doorand secured to the door by means of screws passing through slots in thepiece K, whereby the position of the piece K may be adjusted. (See Fig.4.) In this mannera better leverage is obtained for the purpose ofraising the door into an upright position in the recess a when the linkor connection K is drawn up by the slide I.

L is the elevator-platfornn which I prefer to provide with guide-rollersM upon its lower surface, adapted to strike the levers D to operatethem.

N is a bow above the platform to raise the doors when the elevatorascends.

O is the rope or cable by which the elevator is raised or lowered. Iprefer to construct the levers D in the manner shown in Fig. 6,consisting of two arm-pieces D and an inner sliding piece D securedbetween the two arms of the lever D by screws (1. By means of slotsformed either in the sliding piece D or the arms D the position of thepiece D may be adjusted. To this adjustable piece D the chain or rope Eis secured.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Normally the weight of thedoors keeps them closed and also keeps the levers D drawn up orprojecting into the elevator'shaft. As the elevator ascends, the bow N,coming in con- IVhen the lever D is depressed, the

tact with the doors B,raises them. (See Fig. 1.) This raising of thedoors B loosens the tension of the chains or ropes E upon the levers Dand allows them to drop out of the path of the elevator, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 1. After the elevator has passed through thehatchway the doors B close by their own weight, drawing up again thelovers 1), so that they project into the shaft as the elevator descends.The platform L comes in contact with the levers D and forces them down,thus raisingthe doors B for the elevator to pass, when they again closeby gravity. I prefer to use wheels or rollers M upon the lower surfaceof the platform L to operate the levers D and to act as guides for thechains or ropes while the levers are being operated by the descendingelevator.

I prefer the details of construction here shown; but it is apparent thatthey may be modified in many ways without departing from the principlesof my invention, and are not to be taken as limitations of it.

hat I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the hinged door, a pivoted lever, an adjustablepiece carried by the said lever and adjustable to or from thepivot-point thereof, and a connection between said adjustable piece ofthe lever and the hinged door, whereby the length of that part of thearm of the lever acting upon said connection may be adjusted by themovement of the adj ustable piece to or from the pivot-point of thelever.

2. In an elevator, the combination of a hinged hatch-door, a pivotedlever proj ectin g into the shaft, avertically-guided slide, aconnection between said vertically-guided slide and the door, and aflexible connection between said slide and lover passing over a guidelocated above said lever.

3. In an elevator, the combination of a hinged l1atch-door,apivotedlever projecting into the elevator-shaft, a vertical guide-rod securedto the side of the elevator-shaft, a vertically-movable slide guided bysaid vertical guide-rod, a connection between said slide and thehatch-door, a guide located above the pivoted lever, and a flexibleconnection between said lever and sliding rod passing over said guide.

In testimony of which invention I have'hercunto set my hand.

WM. STEVENS.

\Vitncsses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, S. '1. Ynnkns.

